First, let me give you some background information on the
7A-FE in case you don't already know. The 7A-FE is the last in Toyota's great line
of A-series engines. It is an inline-4, DOHC, 1762cc 16v MAP-based engine. The
other (very) popular A-series engine is the 4A-GE, available in beauties such as the
Corolla GTS, MR2, and Levin, with 16 or 20 valves, naturally aspirated or
supercharged! The 4A-GE also powers all the race cars in the KOOL/Toyota Atlantic
Championship, North America's premier open-wheel development series. The 7A-FE
shares basically the same block as the 4A-GE, but with 200cc's more displacement (~1800cc
vs. ~1600cc), the difference being in the stroke. The 7A-FE's bottom end isn't quite
as strong as the 4A-GE's though. The 7A-FE connecting rod is longer and skinnier,
and the crank is not forged. Another major difference between the 7A-FE and 4A-GE is
the cylinder head. Toyota designates the "F" as meaning "economy
head," while the "G" means "performance head." (The following information originated from Gary M. of the Toyota
Mods Mailing List) The G head uses two widely spaced cams directly pushing the
valves and driven by their own sprockets. This allows for very high valve speeds and
excellent valve control for better performance. The larger angle between the valves
also makes a chamber with more surface area, and with a domed piston, even more surface
area. This allows for more compression while dissipating the heat better, so it
won't detonate as easily. Also, the ports can be straighter so that they will flow
better at high velocity thus making more top end power. Why does Toyota make an F
head? The F head has close spaced cams with only one drive sprocket and a pair of
gears to drive the other cam. The narrow angle between the valves makes for a more
compact chamber that will hold the heat in and allow for a faster burn, and the port
shapes improve low rpm velocity. This all makes for a more efficient engine with
more torque at low speed and cleaner emissions while burning the lower amount of
fuel. Basically, that is the reason for the two designs. The latest 7A-FE
actually makes as much power as the MK1 4A-GE and more torque both at lower revs, but this
is all due to the 200cc's more displacement. The better G head would definitely make
even more but would consume more fuel and possibly lose some low end torque. Lastly,
the "E" stands for "electronic fuel injection." The 7A-FE is
available in the AE102 as well as in the ST version of late model (AT200) Celicas.
The engine bay of these Celicas looks almost identical to the AE102's. Click here to see a 7A-FE in a Celica. Because of this
engine "sharing," just about everything mentioned here will be applicable to the
Celica 7A-FE (as well as any other 7A-FE).

So you want more power from your AE102? Consider
converting your stock 4/7A-FE engine to a custom 7A-G(Z,T)E! This single, yet
extremely significant, mod will give you more gain than almost any other mods you could
throw your money at, so if you're serious, you know what you gotz to do. The
conversion entails swapping in the G cylinder head from a 4A-G(Z)E engine along with a
supercharger (optional, designated as "Z"). Turbocharging is an option
also. Sticking with the 7A block gives you the 200cc advantage. If you have
the 4A-FE engine (1600cc also), the most feasible route would be to pull it out and swap
in a 4A-GE (20 valver!), 4A-GZE, or 7A-G(Z,T)E. (A 3S-GTE might fit with a big
enough shoehorn, but I won't even go into that.) The reason I recommend a complete
swap is because it would be cheaper and result in a better engine than swapping heads on a
4A-FE. Sorry, but the 4A-FE has no intrinsic advantage. Talk about watered
down. Furthermore, the 4A-FE block is not identical, although very similar,
to the 4A-GE block. Why would you want to build an engine Toyota already built
better?

I'm in the process of converting my engine to a 7A-GZE.
When that is done, I hope to document my experiences for anyone who wishes to do the
same, or just for information's sake. Here's a great idea! 4A stroker
kit, overbore cylinders with custom pistons, 20 valve head, twincharger kit...damn!!!
How many trannies can that thing blow up!

Click here to go the
7A-G(Z,T)E Conversion Information Page. This is where I will be documenting
my conversion as well others (and all relevant info).

Other A-series engines:

Check out this beautiful 20v
4A-GE!

20v 4A-GT all prepped up!(from HyperRev 18)

Joji's nice azz
HKS 5A-GTE!
Much props to this super clean setup...

1998 240hp TRD Formula Atlantic
4A-GE

This pic is from the
Corolla Dress Up Catalog (pg. 117). Ok, so it's a 3S-FE...in a Corolla.

Ignition Systems

The electronic ignition system in the AE102 is perfectly
capable of igniting fuel mixtures. This is actually true for almost all modern
engines. For this reason, it is not highly recommended that you spend money on an
aftermarket performance ignition system unless you plan to run boost or increase
compression in some way because it would be one of the least bang-for-your-buck mods.
However, if you have the money to spare, a performance ignition will only do you
good. I currently have a Jacobs Electronics Pro Street Ultra Team setup, and my
seat-of-the-pants dyno tells me it gives me a little bit more power...not much, but I can
feel it. Of course, I need to do some dyno runs to confirm this. More
objectively, the setup gives me about 15 more miles per fillup. Click here to see the latest Ultra Team info from
Jacobs (in PDF format, 723kB). I had a Mileage Master Ultra Team prior to this, but
it got toasted (i.e, sparks, smoke, heat) after over a year for a reason I can't figure
out. Other manufacturers are MSD, Crane, etc. I've heard "toast"
stories about Crane units but don't really know anything about the MSD units. People
run them, so they must be worth something. If all you're looking for are spark plug
wires, go with Jacobs Electronics or Magnecor (8.5mm). I don't think TRD makes wires
for the AE102. As for Nology's capacitive discharge technology, some like it while
others don't (I don't). Spark plugs? C'mon, that's not a mod...that's a
tune-up part. Get regular coppers. You can't go wrong with NGK or NipponDenso. I've made available both
manufacturers' spark plug info charts in the Technical
Information section, as well as a tech article on spark plugs. Remember to use
the correct heat range for your application. In most cases, factory specifications
are fine (e.g., NGK BKR5EYA is the standard plug for the 4/7A-FE).

Intake

A K&N replacement drop-in air filter is good
enough in most cases. The stock airbox should flow enough air as is, even though the inlet
is rather smallish. If you go with an open cone-type setup, you risk losing power
by sucking in hot underhood air. An intake "heat shield" is
available to address this, or you can make your own. If you want to modify the intake setup,
I recommend you route the intake to a cool air source (or at least not hotter
than stock). Don't look to aftermarket parts here; this
will entail some custom plumbing, but the job should be pretty straightforward.
I suggest removing the intake resonator by the fender well and routing from
the throttle body to the fender or air dam. Relocating the battery to the
trunk (a very good idea) will free up more room under the hood for this, as well as improve
weight distribution. You can make sure the new setup is better by
measuring the intake air
temperature and pressure during test runs.

The two PCV hoses coming off the valve cover
allow crankcase fumes and blowby gases to pollute the intake air. To
keep the intake air clean, plug these two holes on the intake side and route
the PCV hoses to a catchcan with a breather. Just remember to clean out the
catchcan as necessary. The outlet end of the PCV valve is 3/8", and
the non-valved outlet is 1/4".

The following pictures illustrate a few examples.

Recommended Oils

Just stick with a full synthetic, and you'll be fine.
Run conventional oil during break-in periods only. Oils I recommend are Red Line, Mobil 1, Motul, and Amsoil. Red Line is great but too expensive to
justify for regular use. Amsoil and Motul are good too but aren't readily
available. Therefore, just go with Mobil 1. You can find it at just about any
auto parts store.